Delta Airlines Boeing 717 Domestic First from San Francisco to Los Angeles

Leaving the Sky Club at slightly before 7am, I was expecting to board the plane shortly but it turns out there was a notification that the flight would be delayed. A 5-10 minute wait was extended to be a 20 minute delay.

Delayed flight notification by the gate

While waiting to board, the gate area filled up quickly and I just stuck around since I see no point in walking back to the lounge. After about 15 minutes lingering around the gate area, the agent called for Sky Priority boarding first and I proceed to show my boarding pass.

Once onboard, I found the the Captain made the announcement that the flight was delayed due to navigation system on first officer’s side not working the way it was intended to. While he apologized for the wait, he did mention he would try to catch up to ensure we arrive as early as possible.

Bulkhead seat onboard the 717

Right on the armrest of my seat, there was a small bottle of water that functions as the pre-departure beverage as well. There was also a note that hinted for passengers to give a 5 for cabin cleanliness in customer satisfaction surveys. A little bit tacky for such a note but it was the first time I found something like this. There was also a mint candy that I supposed came with this friendly note.

Welcome drinks and mint

I enjoyed the morning sunrise on Delta’s 767 that was parked beside us as the cabin continued boarding.

Delta 767 at SFO

This would be my second time onboard Delta’s vintage Boeing 717. While old, the cabins does have a fresh new seats upholstered in Delta’s colours of blue and modern amenities like power outlets. The armrests on these seats are also much more comfortable than on the smaller regional jets like the Embraers or the CRJs. The only downside as a solo traveller would be the 2-2 seat configuration as opposed to the availability of a single seat on the CRJs.

Power ports under armrest

And these planes are even outfitted with Wifi that is common amongst modern jetliners. It was obvious Delta was planning to run these plane for sometime to come!

Cabin air vents with WiFi indicator

After a quick boarding, the plane started its pullback and a short taxi to the runway. The lack of queues for take-off meant we were up in the air in no time. However there was a gradual ascent as we circled up, passing Oyster Point and making a turn somewhere in South San Francisco. The fine weather and nice morning sunshine meant I had a nice view from the window all during our ascent up.

Oyster Point on take-off from SFOSouth San Francisco sunrise

A morning sun is always welcome in an early flight of the day. And it certainly cheered passengers a bit after the delay!

Flying with the sunriseCity of San Francisco from the air

The turnaround also meant I got to see the airport from the air as we ventured south. Along the way the clear weather also showed me the new Apple campus being constructed in Cupertino.

Bay Area aerial view with SFO airport in the centreAerial view of San Jose, spot Apple’s new campus

Around this time, breakfast was also served in the cabin with no choice. The crew just enquired if passengers wanted breakfast or anything to drink. While I said yes to breakfast, I noticed my seat mate declined her’s, so did many of the passengers flying up front.

Breakfast service

The breakfast was a bit underwhelming as it consisted of just a bread and some mixed berries and apple slices. There was also a dip in the centre which confused me a bit as I did not know what it was used for. Aside from the light breakfast, there was no other service at all for this flight. Though I was definitely occupied by the view outside.

Pacific Palisades aerial view on descent

Nice weather and easy approach into LAX meant the delay did not do much damage and passengers by the window were treated to the coastline of Malibu and Pacific Palisades on the approach into Los Angeles. During our descent the view of notable landmarks meant it was easy to spot Wilshire Boulevard and Hollywood, and the dense downtown amongst the urban sprawl.

Wilshire BoulevardFlying past Downtown LA

We did land only slightly behind schedule in Los Angeles but being such a large airport there was a bit of a taxi to our gate and that certainly added some time to our arrival. The morning light was still streaming nicely into the cabin and since I have a comfortable layover time, I was in no rush. I believed most if not all passengers made it to their next flight on time.

Window view on arrival

There was not much to review for this short flight, and comparing it to other similar flights, I think Delta performed quite well as other airlines probably serves a selection of chips or granola bars. Though the service was somewhat informal, the flight was nice for its views in the morning.